Blue Mist by Joan Severance
by fdpiech

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club:

I think you've captured an excellent scene here. The composition is excellent.

I like the blue effect overall. But I think the image could use more contrast. Taking it into PS, I see that the black levels in the photograph are not at the end of the scale, as they should be. In addition, due to oversharpening, or due to using too big of a radius while sharpening, there are halos along the treeline.

Finally, the image has a bit of noise. Noise reduction, e.g., via Neatimage, would have addressed that easily.

All in all, a beautiful image, just needs a bit of attention in an image editor like PS!

Regards--Neil

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer´s Stone
by cimarron98

Comment:
Greetings from the Critique Club!

I think you had a great idea here, and selected a good set of elements to give us the feel for the book. I also like the choice of B&W here.

On the technical side, there are a couple of things that can be improved here. I don't think the light reflection in the glasses is needed if done intentionally, and at best distracts a bit, especially because I can see some detail in it, i.e., the bulb.

The wand itself is the major problem I see here. It's overexposed, and I don't think it's placed optimally in the image. It's almost as if it's arranged to be the nose, the glasses the eyes, and the rock the mouth, making a face, which distracts a bit. I am not sure how I would arrange them without some playing, but I would think I might have tried the wand coming in from one corner, and the other objects symmetrical on the other diagnoal. But I would have to experiment to see what worked best. Some other suggestions:
1) A dark, nonreflective base and background would have given this some extra pop
2) A sheet over the light source and putting it back would have diffused the light and eliminated the reflection. A circular polarizer might have also been effective here.

Glad to see such a creative entry and I look forward to seeing more of your work.

Just Killing Time
by Cam

Comment:
Good shot ;) I'd like to have seen more DOF.

It's Like Money Down The Drain
by Catherine

Comment:
A very pretty capture and good idea. The literal phrase I know is "Like Pouring money down the drain", and that migh have been even better, to have a pitcher full of money and pouring them down the sink! I wish I had thought of that one earlier, I might have done it myself!

He Heard It Straight From The Horse's Mouth
by Shannon

Comment:
Good photo and idea. Some comments which really would have nailed it: I wish the wire fence weren' t int the pic at the bottom, but it understandably might have been difficult to avoid here. Having the horse's mouth open, e.g., feeding him something before this shot, would have nailed it!

What's the Point?
by Konador

Comment:
Very clever, and a nice photo as well.

ain't the brightest crayon in the box
by ScantyNebula

Comment:
Not sure I ever heard that one (to my face at least), but it's a pretty good and literal interpretation. I would have lgked to see the black crayon somehow more contrasted against the background. The dark shadows in the box obscure part of the tip outline.

A dog´s life
by Alexys

Comment:
This is perhaps the most "chilling" literalism I've seen. May people like this gentleman don't even live as good as a dog. But it's also irony, since "A dogs life" is usually interpreted as meaning "A lazy, do nothing life". This person doesn't strike me as being there "voluntarily".

As to the picture itself, it seems a little unclear/unsharp, whether it be from resolution or focus.

Time to Pay the Piper
by StevePax

Comment:
Clever. Where do I drop the money... Good composition here. Lighting seems a bit flat, or at least it is in the foreground where he is.

Lost Horizon
by TSaylors

Comment:
Beautiful shot; just watch for a tilted horizon when shooting, or straighten afterwards. Also, its best not to split it down the middle with the horizon: in this case, you could have taken a bit more of the land in the forground (or maybe cropped that way).

Congrats on your strong finish in the book titles!